Welcome to another part in our series Family Matters! This week we travel to Brooklyn, New York to catch up with Cedar Valley Canine family, the Attonitos and their dog Zuma. Erica and Rob live in Brooklyn with their daughters Reese, Charlotte, Alexandra and Grayson.

Read more about this lovable pup and her wonderful family below.

Tell us how you got your Cedar Valley dog Zuma.

I have 4 daughters and a friend of mine sent me an article titled, 28 Important Rules to Teach Your Daughter by Liza Graves which brought me to an interview with Betsy Taylor: Faces of Nashville. In the interview Betsy spoke about her husband Dave who breeds, trains, and sells German Shepherd dogs which brought me to Cedar Valley Canine!

Can you tell us about having a German Shepherd in NYC?

Growing up my family and I raised German Shepherd puppies for the Seeing Eye of Morristown, NJ. I've always loved this breed and knew when the time was right that I wanted to get a German Shepherd for my own family. Living in Manhattan and 2 blocks from the World Trade Center I was worried we wouldn't have enough room for a large dog in our apt. I reached out to Dave and we discussed our living situation and life in NYC for a dog. Dave took so much time to talk to me about dogs he has trained and in particular the temperament of this breed and how they are so adaptive to their environment. He was available for every question I had and there were many throughout the process.

Zuma with some of her neighborhood pals!

What is Zuma’s favorite thing to do in the city?

Our family left NYC in March because of Covid so Zuma has been a beach dog living in Westhampton Beach, NY for the last 6 months. Now that school is opening up again, we decided to move back into the city. We also moved to Brooklyn Heights from Tribeca so Zuma is getting used to our new neighborhood. She is meeting lots of dogs and people! She recently met a German Shepherd puppy named Maggie who lives around the corner. They love to play together. Zuma also loves walks down by the Pier...we have wonderful views of the Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn. She is getting used to dog parks and loves to play. Zuma has lots of energy. She is such a sweet dog that everyone wants to stop and pet her on the street. She sits nicely and enjoys all the attention!

How has having a puppy/dog affected your quarantine experience?

Even though we decided back in December to get a dog the timing of getting Zuma in Mid-March during quarantine could not have worked out any better. My whole family has been home with Zuma which has helped with her transition into our home, training, and limited crate time. Zuma has been a wonderful addition to our family and has really helped me stay active during quarantine. Every morning we get up and take a 3 mile walk...If I didn't have a dog during quarantine I'm not sure I would be consistently getting up and out of the house. My youngest Grayson is 4 years old and I think she has had the most fun with Zuma during quarantine. Zuma and Gray keep each other busy which allows the rest of the family to work and attend virtual classes for school.

If Zuma was a movie star who would she be?.

If Zuma were a movie star I think she would be Reese Witherspoon...beautiful, smart, sassy, and with roots in the Nashville area!

Use three words to describe Zuma.

Protector, Intelligent, and Loving

Protector Zuma and her Brooklyn Nets fan :)

Family Matters: Meet the Attonitos!